9 Things Online Marketers Need to Know About the Brain

People like to think they’re rational creatures. But they’re really not.

The human brain is on auto-pilot most of the time because the conscious part is expensive to operate.

So, in online marketing, it doesn’t make sense to try to appeal to the audience’s rational side. The parts of the brain that are mostly in charge are those responsible for …

… reacting (the part that makes sure we stay alive) and

… feeling (the part that stores memories and remembers what we like or dislike).

Remember that these parts are lazy, impatient, and automatic.

If you want visitors to act, take advantage of the brain’s biases, and remember the following when designing online experiences:

1. The brain likes simple choices

The brain wants choices to be easy. Too much choice will overwhelm the brain and result in the customer putting off making the decision.

What it means for online marketers:

Present users with a number of simple choices. Scrolling is only convenient if it’s quick visual scanning of physical items that are substantially different visually When appropriate, guide users with wizards. Instead of overwhelming users with dozens of choices, ask them a few questions to lead them to what they’re looking for When designing the Information Architecture for catalog navigation, remember that it’s better to have more easy clicks than a few difficult clicks, so go deep and narrow, not shallow and wide Make choices visually obvious. Make it immediately clear how one option is different from others